Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Addressing Conflict in the School of the Lord's Service

Today's Scripture Readings

Ezekiel 33:7-11 (NRSV)

You, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Psalm 119: 33-40 (BCP., p.766)


Romans 13:8-14 (NRSV)

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.


Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Blog Reflection

Therefore, we intend to establish a school for the Lord's service.  In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.  The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love.  Do not be daunted immediately by fear and fun away from the road that leads to salvation.  It is bound to be narrow at the outset.  But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.  Never swerving from his instructions then,  but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom.  Amen.  (Prologue 45-50. RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p. 18, 19).

This Sunday's readings are full of tough stuff for Episcopalians and Anglicans.  We are not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.  We are also not Lutherans, Methodists or Presbyterians.  We are not Unitarian/Universalists.  Episcopalians/Anglicans are the via media between them all.   So, to give an adequate reflection on the subject of conflict is quite challenging.    It is often said that if there is one thing that all Episcopalians and Anglicans can agree on, is that we disagree about many things.   Our one common element that unites us is The Book of Common Prayer.

There is also another element that is a uniting factor.  We are Christians who share the mission contained in the words of our Baptismal Vows.  We are to be guided by the Gospel call to the love of God, neighbor and self in all seasons and situations.  It is hardly possible that we will get it exactly right in all situations and moments.   Today's Lectionary Readings provide some important points for us to consider, that will be very helpful.

In today's reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, Ezekiel has been appointed by God as the sentinel for God's people.   A sentinel is placed at the watch gate, so that he can give a warning to the community of the coming of evil.   While it appears that this message for Ezekiel is full of doom and gloom, the essential meaning is that God wants to bring salvation to God's people.   The sentinel being appointed by the Lord God, is to be God's messenger so that the people will know what their choices are.  The burden of what the people choose, is the responsibility of the sentinel.   If the people are not told by the sentinel, then he bears the responsibility for the choice they make.  If the sentinel gives the word of the Lord and they still do not listen, the consequence is on them.  God's sole wish is for God's people to follow God's desire and find salvation.

Christians are given the immense grace of God's unconditional love.   In whatever capacity of ministry we are in, we are the sentinels of that message.   If all that people hear is the Christianists version, which supports oppression and prejudice for a less diverse Church and society, then as Christians, we bear the responsibility of that message.   The actual message of the Gospel of Christ, is one of inclusive love, healing and reconciliation.   The Christian Gospel is about justice and equality for all people.   Our human made labels that define our gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, religion, financial status, political party, language, etc are not part of God's language.   God knows each of us as beloved daughters and sons of God, and with us, God is well-pleased.

The Readings from Romans and Matthew's Gospel, are there for us to meditate on how we as individuals and the Christian Community deal with conflict.   I used the quote from The Rule of St. Benedict to begin this reflection, because I wanted to convey that whether we are Monastics in the Monastery or not, we are all in the process of learning how to follow the Lord in our own lives.   Each spirituality within the Church from the Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, the Ionians and so forth are all pointing us in their unique fashion to live the Gospel in our lives.   We each come to understand and live the Gospel from our particular background and social location in a way that is unique and blessed.   The issue in today's Gospel is not whether or not there is conflict, but, how we address conflict so that we all lead each other to an authentic and transparent living into our Christian vocation.  

The final meaning of this Gospel text, has nothing to do with a church bodies' authority to excommunicate or refuse service to someone.   It is about how we as people who proclaim belief in a God of inclusive love, live out what we say we are about.   Even when the going gets tough.  Even when we will disagree with each other.     If in our disagreements with each other we can do so in a way that leads all of us into a deeper and life-giving relationship with God and one another, with love and compassion as our goal; we will accomplish great things in the Name of the Lord.  On the contrary, if we deal with conflicts in a way that seeks to serve only our selfish desires, prejudices based on ignorance of one another; the life-giving message of the Gospel becomes another fairy tale that is a nice story, but it is hardly real.  A Christianity that has a lot of nice sounding adventures, but, did it really change people's lives, or was it just a passing history novel?

May we enter into a deeper relationship with God in our prayer and work this week, so that as we encounter conflicts that will at times shake us up, we will recognize the presence of Christ in one another.  Let us respond to God's presence in others with a reverence and respect that translates what we pray and believe into the reality of who we are, and how we love others.

Amen.


Prayers

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as
you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength,
so you never forsake those who make their boast of your
mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.  (Proper 18.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for our Enemies, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).

First Sunday After Christmas: The Word, Light, and Grace

Today's Scripture Verses


Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (NRSV)

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,

and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,

and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm 147 (BCP., p804)



Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7 (NRSV)

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

John 1:1-18 (NRSV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

Blog Reflection

Once again, Christmas Day passed us five days ago.  The stores and malls are not playing their endless round of "holiday" music.   If you heard Maria Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" as much as I did, you, like me, might be happy we are not listening to it anymore.  At least until next November 1st.  Many Christmas trees are already out on the street corner to be picked up.

As for churches that follow a Liturgical Calendar, the Christmas Season continues until January 6th, the Epiphany.  It is not uncommon for us to get questions like: "Um, dude, Christmas is over.  Put the carols away until next year?"   So, why not do that?

We would not put them away now, because the Christmas Season is not one holiday long.  It is an event through which the God who made everything through the Word, became one like us in Jesus Christ.   The story of Jesus Christ entering into our human existence as God with us.  Emmanuel.  God being helpless, vulnerable, in need of protection, nurturing and susceptible to everything you and I are.   Jesus was not even totally safe from the possibility of being killed with the other Holy Innocents, had Mary and Joseph not fled to Egypt with Him.  His arrival was not good news for everyone.   He had His enemies and skeptics all waiting for Him.

It is easy to look back on the people of that time and wonder what in the world was wrong with them.  However, as Marcus Borg wrote in Jesus: A New Vision we only know Him from a post-resurrection point of view.  The historical Jesus is as hidden a mystery to our limited understanding in 2013 as He was to those who knew Him in His own time.  What we do know about Jesus is that He was the Word who brought Light and the Grace of God into our world.   Because Jesus was God's perfect revelation of God's Self.  

Maybe people put Christmas away immediately after December 25th, because Christians have yet to show them how the Word is present now in our time.  As we hear the news that Christianist missionaries are transporting the hate towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to places like Russia, Uganda, other countries, how can people possibly believe in the Word made Flesh?   Why believe in God coming to us in Christ?  

Why believe in the Christmas Story, with Christians celebrating the Americans who will lose their unemployment benefits in only a few short days?

Returning to Uganda for a moment, the Anglican Bishop of Uganda celebrates the passage of the "kill the gays bill".   Amazing that a Bishop in our Anglican Communion celebrates the passing of a bill, that is a new massacre of LGBT people.   How are we to properly celebrate Christmas with that kind of talk?

In the Incarnate Word, Jesus does not promise to end all injustice, oppression and violence.  It would have been great if that would have happened.  However, Jesus came as God with us, to show that God walks with us in Him as we by the power of the Holy Spirit, do what Jesus would do in situations like what we are seeing today.  In the Gospels, Jesus showed us how to welcome the stranger, have mercy on the oppressed and love the one whom others consider unlovable.  Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God had come in Him, and in Him, it is possible for God to do so much to change the world for the better.   All God asks of us in this Christmas Season is to let Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh be reborn in us today, tomorrow and in the New Year 2014 so that we may help make the Christmas mystery ever present and real in our world.

Perhaps we can show others why we sing Christmas Carols another week is such a good idea. When we have compassion on those who live with addictions, mental illness or are  homeless, poor and needy.  In our singing of Joy to the World, may the Lord come and show His love through us.  May we gladly receive Him and share His love with others, because we speak up to end the violence towards women, education, workers and those who are in need of food stamps and immigration reform.   Let every heart prepare room for God among us, as Christians live the meaning of the story of how Jesus Christ, the Word with Light and Grace transforms the world around us, because we who believe in Him, let His Light cast off the darkness.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.213).

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed
for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one:
Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and
obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit,
that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your
Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.255).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

All Saints Sunday: Beatitude Is Our Attitude

Today's Scripture Readings

Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18 (NRSV)

In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.

As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter: "As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever—for ever and ever."

Psalm 149 (BCP., p.807)


Ephesians 1:11-23 (NRSV)

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Luke 6:20-31 (NRSV)

Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:

"Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

"Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

"Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

"But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

"Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

"Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets

"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Blog Reflection

In the Oxford Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church the following definition is given for the Communion of Saints.

Part of the 9th article of the Apostles Creed.  it is usually interpreted as the spiritual union existing between each Christian adn Christ, and so between every Christian in Heaven, Purgatory, or on earth (p.136).

J.B. Bernard in An Introduction to the Episcopal Church on the subject of the Communion of Saints wrote:

This means the fellowship of Christians with one another through their possession of the one Spirit and their fellowship with Christ.  It applies not only to this world, but also the next.  All Christians are one in Him (p.91).

These quotes along with our Scripture readings on this All Saints Sunday gives us a lot to ponder.   Yet, the greatness of it is not in the amount to think about, but the enormity of God's love for all God's people.  All of us who have been brought together by the Catholic Creeds, to serve in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, find our oneness in Jesus Christ.  All that is good and holy, with all the potential to be touched by the ever present mercy of God, is because of what Jesus Christ did by His death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  No matter how much the Church may get wrong since it's beginnings, this oneness in Christ, this one belonging to one another because of Christ, means that there are no losers and no one to be excluded.  Everyone is to be invited to receive in faith the Holy Mysteries, and ponder for themselves what salvation in and through Jesus Christ means for them.

In case we need some kind of script to understand what it means to be one in Christ, that we are a part of the Communion of Saints, we need look no further than Paul's letter to the Ephesians. We all share in some way in that inheritance of the Saints in the light of Jesus Christ, so that each of us may know what is true and worthwhile.  None of us are required to agree with one another.  All that is asked of us, is to know in our hearts that God has redeemed us in Christ, and promises the strength of God the Holy Spirit to each of us, as we work on behalf of God to do the ministry of hospitality, healing and reconciliation for all God's people.

As we read the Beatitudes in Luke's Gospel today, we hear Jesus affirming those who are already blessed to be counted as among the Saints.  The poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who love their enemies, and accept God's will in circumstances including those that are just contrary to what we think that they should be.   All of us in one way or another have lived through those moments of being in need, being crushed and broken, and facing injustice, oppression and prejudice.  Yet, Jesus tells us all, that we are blessed, and that God's reward is already there for us.  It is in this moment that we find God's grace calling us to be saints, radically transformed for the work of God's compassion and mercy.   In our Baptism, we have all received that redemption of Christ so that we all share together as members of Christ, as part of the Communion of Saints.

Ten years ago this weekend, The Episcopal Church consecrated and ordained Bishop V. Gene Robinson.  The first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal Church.  His consecration and ordination has borne the fruit of the Holy Spirit to help LGBT people become more included in the ministry of the Church.  Bishop Gene's voice has been, and continues to be heard amidst all the controversy in the Church over the issues surrounding of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. Those of us who are LGBT have received the Good News of the Gospel, that we too are to be counted among the Communion of Saints, to serve and be served as part of Christ's Body, the Church.   Among us are the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, the pure in heart, those in need of mercy and peace.  Bishop Robinson's consecration and ordination was an act of God answering our prayers, to bring us hope and much grace as we continue the work of inclusion for all God's people.

On this All Saints Sunday, may we count ourselves as among the Communion of Saints.   May we pray to know that we are one in Christ with one another, in all our diversity, arguing and calamity.   Christ is God's presence and peace in the midst of the chaos.  In Christ, is our hope, our faith, our Baptism, and all that God promises in this life, and in the life to come.   May we claim the blessing of God who is + Father, Son and Holy Spirit + for ourselves and others around us.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one
communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son
Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those
ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love
you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Collect for All Saints Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 245).

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

All Saints Day: Surrounded by the Cloud of Witnesses

Today's Scripture Verses


Hebrews 12:1-2 (NRSV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Blog Reflection

This year there will be two blog reflections written on All Saints.   Today's entry and the one this coming Sunday, which can also be called All Saints Sunday.  Today's meditation comes from the Lectionary used at Matins (or Morning Prayer).  This amazing reading from Hebrews 12:1-2 talks about being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  The symbolic imagery created by those words cannot be overstated.

Many modern theologians have given over the idea of Heaven being above us, and Hell being below us, to the idea that the Communion of Saints surrounds us, and that God's Holy Spirit communicates for us and with us.  The great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us is made up of Saints who are both visible and living, and others who have passed beyond our sight and share in the Beatific vision of God in all glory.  The Anglican World-Wide Communion of Saints invites all of us to throw off the sins that keep us from freely loving God, neighbor and ourselves with a total abandonment to the will of God.  The Saints have looked to Jesus who is the "pioneer and perfecter of our faith."   The faith to know God, and live by the words and actions of Jesus, who has given the Holy Spirit to the whole Church in it's history and even now at this moment.  

If the Saints who make up the cloud of witnesses are calling us to live and imitate Jesus, so we too are Saints cooperating with the Spirit in our own lives and communities.  In our common Baptism and sharing in the one Bread and one Cup of the Lord's Supper, we are united to the Saints of all ages, as they are united to us in the One Body of Christ which is the Church.  This is such good news.  It means that all of us are included and no one has been excluded from the opportunity to serve God in faith, hope and love.  The Saints who include many individuals, women and men, LGBT and straight, of one religion or another, some who struggled greatly with who they were and how they love others, help us in the midst of our struggles to put Jesus Christ in the center of our lives and serve others in His Name.

It is important to note that each of the Saints understood the Christian Faith in unique ways.  Nothing said they had to agree, all that was important was their faith in God and desire to live holy lives.   Given that they are among our great cloud of witnesses, can we even in 2013 do any different?


Prayer

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one
communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son
Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those
ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love
you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for All Saints, Book of Common Prayer, p.245)  

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Honoring the Faith or the No Faith of Others

Today's Scripture Readings

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

The king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me-- that is my petition-- and the lives of my people-- that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king." Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that." So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.

Psalm 124 (BCP,. p. 781)

James 5:13-20 (NRSV)

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Mark 9:38-50 (NRSV)

John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

"For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Blog Reflection

Did you notice something missing in the reading from Esther?   The story is quite amazing.  Kings and queens discussing and negotiating.  A villain getting what he deserved.  A people destined to be destroyed, saved, and an innocent man rescued from a hanging.  Wow!!  What an incredible account.   But, there is something missing.  A word almost always used in every book in the Bible, but this one.  Not one place through out this reading is God ever mentioned.  Yet, is God really missing from what is going on?

In our day of the arguments over whether or not religious freedom is endangered, to read this account, one could easily deduce from it, that God might not have been so important to whomever the author or translator was.  But, maybe what we are meant to do is see God acting between the lines of what is being said and done.  This story is filled with violence and retribution.  Something that many of us in this day and age, find very difficult to stomach.  And, for good reason.   Just because we do not read the Name of the Lord, our God in this story, does not mean God is not acting nor conversing with us through the Holy Spirit.  In fact, God may be speaking quite clearly to us.  Could God be telling us to pay attention to things going on around us, and to search for God and love God when we find God?  Even with events going on around us, that seem like God could not possibly be doing anything.  Are we listening for God to speak to us?  Are we waiting for God to call out to us on our own terms, or are we open to God searching for us through people and circumstances, especially those that seem foreign to us?

Even if we were to discover that we really are not searching and listening for God in the way we should; the Church is the place for everyone.  The writer of James tells us that the Christian Community is a place for healing and reconciliation, as we draw together to love and pray for each other.   Our sins of exclusion and social injustice, however backwards and violent they may be; God is able to forgive us and extend God's mercy to us, individually and collectively   Have you ever wondered why when we pray the Confession on page 360 in The Book of Common Prayer that we always pray: "we confess that we have sinned against you...."?   It is because all of us are sinners in need of God's saving grace.  We all walk past someone we should help.  We all say things to people that we shouldn't have said.  Everyone of us loses control and gives the middle finger to the driver that cuts us off, or the politician campaigning to take away our health care.   The Church is not so much a museum for the saints, as much as it is a hospital for sinners.   Just as a hospital that cares for the body, develops a better understanding of diseases that have always existed, and seeking better ways of curing or treating them; so the Church by the Holy Spirit learns better ways of loving people that we once condemned or treated as if there was no hope for them.   We all have to seek the help of the Physician of the Soul, to heal us of the spiritual and social diseases of racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, Jewish phobia, and/or phobia of Atheists and Unitarians.  We need Jesus, to forgive us for not doing more to help people who are poor, disenfranchised from voting, losing their collective bargaining rights for better wages, health care and benefits, and allowing the horrible political rhetoric to divide us from one another.   The Church is the place where we come before God and seek new ways of understanding, behaving and helping others and ourselves to know God better.

The Rev. Ian McAlister wrote some very important insights concerning today's Gospel in Speaking to the Soul.

Each of us has one (or the other). We share having it and it connects us, past, present and future with the whole of humanity. It crosses racial, ethnic, cultural, physical, age and gender boundaries.

No matter who we are or where we live or what school we went to or what our job is or what colour our hair, eyes or skin happens to be, we humans have this in common: we have an extraordinary ability to create two groups of people, usually labelled Us (or me) and Them.

We see the results of this ability whenever Grand Final footy is played, or a boat load of refugees appears near Java, or a person makes a video belittling someone else’s faith, or a host of other circumstances.

As I say, it doesn’t take much for us to draw boundaries. The results of boundary-drawing are neither particularly pleasing to the eye or to the emotions, except if the Bulldogs beat the Storm this weekend.

What’s worse is the accompanying desire we have to let someone else sort out the difficulties: for some bureaucracy to come in and enforce conformity to manage our anxieties.

In the Gospel for this week, Jesus gets confronted with this line drawing, Innie v Outtie, battle. His disciples were getting twitchy; they want him to stop another bloke from casting out demons in his name because (horror of horrors) he wasn’t one of them.

I am not surprised that Jesus didn’t buy into this. It doesn’t surprise me that He goes on to point out that anyone who does a good work in his name will have a hard job doing anything against his name in the future.

It’s almost as if we are hard-wired to make lines, whether they’re racial, ethnic, linguistic, political, sexual, physical or religious. Truth is, religious lines are particularly well drawn and so simple.

As I contemplate this Gospel passage, I wonder whether it could shape or re-shape how we might think about those who see God differently from us, if they see him at all.

One of the greatest challenges for Christians is to be open to the movement of God in someone of a different faith tradition, or someone with no religious practice or belief at all, and honor that person.   These challenges are as difficult for me as they are for anyone else.  As an Anglican/Episcopalian, I think our rich tradition of Liturgy, prayer, theology and view of Scripture, Tradition and Reason are beyond description.  Yet, there are many who do not share my appreciation.   And, it is so difficult at times for me to put all of that down, and just love someone without looking to injecting my agenda into that person.   I do believe I learned that from my years in both Protestant Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism and as a conservative Catholic.    Yet, I also know, that I would not have all of the wonderful things I enjoy today, if it weren't for the time I spent in those traditions.  Therefore, I have to learn that everyone is who they are, where they are, because of whatever circumstances, however I might like or dislike those things.   The Gospel calls upon me to love a person I consider an "other" with the same love, by which God loves me.  I may pray that I will love God when I find God, but that same God knows how difficult that challenge is.  At times, I listen well.  At others, I fail miserably.  So it is as we work to be rid of our prejudices and attitudes towards those who are different from ourselves.

As we here in Minnesota are working to defeat the marriage amendment that would strip LGBT people from the possibility of marriage equality, the diversity that is coming together to oppose it is more than amazing.   Minnesotans United for All Families is the official campaign working to defeat the amendment.  A coalition of religious communities, political parties, businesses, labor unions, attorneys, individuals from all over Minnesota and the USA, organizations of varying purposes have all come together to encourage Minnesota to vote NO.   Each have found their voice in speaking up for the opportunity for LGBT people to marry the person they love.   Yet, as difficult as it is, we are also being challenged to love and respect those who are voting yes.  Even with the Catholic Archbishop working against us. As wicked as I believe his actions are, I still must welcome and love him as a brother in Christ.  I will disagree and even challenge him at the voting booth or by other means, but, I still have no right or business to fail to honor his dignity as a human being.  I still  have to bring myself and him before God in prayer, and ask for him to know the common good of God's love, as I do for those who support marriage equality, by voting NO.  This alone, immediately for many, will put me at odds with many in the LGBT communities, who are rightly angry and wounded by the actions of the Archbishop.  Many who are Atheists or do not believe in Christ as one with God, who just would rather glitter him in retaliation.  I cannot condone that sort of thing, yet, I must love them too.  I must pray for and seek to love and serve God who is present even in them.  Man, is it a challenge.   At times, I sure do mess up.

The good news today, is that regardless of where we are whether people of deep personal faith, or not, God loves each and every one of us,  Unconditionally and all-inclusively.  We are all made perfect in the image and likeness of God.  We have all been placed in this world to serve a common purpose, each in our own way.  However, differently we may all be, and feel towards each other, the best thing we can do is always seek the common good for one another.  It is a challenge that we need to be open to hourly, daily, etc.  Because today and this moment, is all we have.  There is work to be done.  God has placed us here to do the work.  So, let's get started.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of
your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 21, Book of Common Prayer, p. 234).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815)   

Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

  

Monday of the Third Week in Lent: Gregory the Great: Servant of the Servants of God

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Chronicles 25:1a,6-8

David and the officers of the army also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. They were all under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. They and their kindred, who were trained in singing to the LORD, all of whom were skillful, numbered two hundred eighty-eight. And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.

Mark 10:42-45 (NRSV)

Jesus called his disciples and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Blog Reflection

Today's commemoration of St. Gregory the Great is one that I cannot so easily dismiss.  Even during Lent by which we have the option of omitting commemoration of Saints, because the Lenten weekday takes precedence.  Being an Oblate of St. Benedict, and Gregory's contribution to Benedict's legacy by writing about him in Book II of the Dialogues, and being a musician who loves Gregorian Chant, I have to stop and write about him today.

My admiration of the Saint has nothing to do with how much I might disagree with his work that led to the idea of the Papacy being one of supreme authority in the Universal Church.  A Saint is someone who has their share of vices, even while they may excel at virtue.  Each individual in the Churches' history added as much woe as they did wisdom and hope.  St. Gregory the Great is no exception.

If you have attended Mass and/or a celebration of the Holy Eucharist recently and prayed the Lord's Prayer after the Eucharistic Prayer, you have celebrated an accomplishment of St. Gregory the Great.  Attention to the worship and music in the Church was one of Gregory's many passions and projects.  If you have ever listened to any Psalm chanted in plain chant, it was Gregory the Great who put those chants and Psalms into an order to be used and referred to. 

Gregory the Great also had a passion for Monastic Life.  He was inspired by St. Benedict, and from his model began his own Monastic community.   He sent his Prior St. Augustine to Canterbury to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury to spread the Gospel to the English people. It was the work of St. Augustine of Canterbury that gave so much life to the Church of England and the Anglican Communion to which the Benedictines made so many contributions to our worship, music and architecture.

The contributions and accomplishments of St. Gregory the Great would not be spelled out as well, if we did not mention his passion for the poor, disadvantaged and the marginalized.  We have to be careful here, because in his short comings, he definitely did not contribute well to the history of the Church and their relationship to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Yet, his devotion to the Gospel to be a "servant of the servants of God" should speak to the Church of today about the importance of pursuing justice, inclusion and equality for LGBT and other persons marginalized in both the Church and society.

What might it mean to be a "servant of the servants of God" for us?

Jesus in today's Gospel reading from Mark tells us that to be considered a leader is to be a servant to others.  Leadership and/or being in a place where what we say and do has such an important impact on others, gains its momentum by being a servant first and foremost.  It comes from seeing a need and our readiness to serve that need so others can join us in speaking to it.  Being a servant of the servants of God, recognizes that all of us are human with the potential to be wrong, while at the same time seeing the potential for something good to come out of even the worst of situations.  That will happen, as we are willing to bend down and wash the feet of anyone who comes to us.  Even someone with whom we disagree.  That is no small order.  That kind of thing takes a lot of humility.

Jesus is the example and model of humility.  Jesus was not just some Joe Schmoe who happened to be a really good person. He was a great person.  Jesus was God's perfect revelation of Self.  God who had come among us as one like us in all things, but did not sin.  Affected by our humanity with all it's prejudices such as the episode with the Canaanite Woman in Matthew 15: 21-28.  Yet, even in that moment, Jesus does not "regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,,," (see Philippians 2: 6-7).   Jesus seeks not what is his own will, nor what is ultimately best for himself, but what is the will of God and the good of the individual before him.  At the Cross, Jesus regarded all of us as more important than even his own body and blood, by pouring himself out, from that amazing love that comes from God for all humankind.  God redeems us through God's total giving of Self in the Person of Jesus Christ, in his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

This Lent we are challenged to be servants for the servants of God.  We are given a model by St. Gregory the Great, and the ultimate example through Jesus Christ.  As we make room for God within the silence of our hearts, it is crucial that we also make space there for the marginalized and destitute of society and the Church.  We must challenge our leaders to seek not what is best for themselves in terms of free flowing political cash, or getting their name in front of someone else's.  But, because the good of people who are different from them and us, needs to come to the fore front and be given the opportunity to uphold and move forward the dignity of all human beings.

How might we be called to be the servants of the servants of God?


Prayers

Almighty and merciful God, you raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant of the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people: Preserve in your Church the catholic and apostolic faith they taught, that your people, being fruitful in every good work, may receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Gregory the Great.  Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 269).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Collect for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Poor and Neglected, Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).

 

The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Light to Enlighten the Nations

Today's Scripture Readings

Malachi 3:1-4 (NRSV)

Thus says the Lord, See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

 

Hebrews 2:14-18 (NRSV)

Since God's children share flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Luke 2:22-40  (NRSV)

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

"Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel."

And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-- and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Blog Reflection

What an amazing man Simeon is.  A man who is so in tuned with the Holy Spirit that he knew that God would not allow him to die until he saw the Messiah of God.  Simeon had to see God's revelation to know that he would be able to die in peace.

The times that Simeon would have lived were not enlightening times by any means.  The Roman Empire controlled Palestine and Jerusalem.  The Sanhedrin were caught in between Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate and the people in their ability to exercise the full authority of their religion. They were high in prestige.  The poverty of Israel during the time that Jesus was born into, in which Simeon lived was full of darkness.  The poor and marginalized were exploited and dehumanized.  Famine, disease and a sense of helplessness was all around Simeon and Jesus.  I can just imagine how much old Simeon would have liked to have died and be done with everything around him.

Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the temple, to offer their first born son to the Lord, according to the Law of Moses.  The parents and Jesus exercised their obedience to what God commanded from the people.  The offering of Jesus to the Lord in the temple prefigures his crucifixion on the cross.  The first born of Mary and Joseph, and the only begotten of God, offers himself without blemish or stain of sin, to take away the sins of the world.

When Simeon takes the Child Jesus into his arms, he gives thanks God. Simeon recognizes Jesus as the long awaited fulfillment of God's promise to him.  Now Simeon can die in peace.  Our Book of Common Prayer in the use of the Canticle of Simeon from today's Gospel account calls Jesus "A light to enlighten the nations" (p.135).  It is from Simeon's understanding that Jesus is the "Light of God's revelation" that the "Light" will "enlighten the nations."   A Light that will make all who are estranged from God, will now be able to find God because of the perfect revelation of God's Self in Christ.  The Light of Christ is not to be kept unto ourselves as some private treasure.  It does not separate us from others who are different from ourselves.  It is the Light by which we understand that all people are perfectly created by God, and called to the fullness of life and hope by the God of unconditional and all-inclusive love.

Christians are a people of great light and hope.  We have the redemption of our souls because of the sacrifice of Jesus.  God has spared no expense, not even God's Son to bring salvation to all humankind.  Yet, Christians are often so selfish.  So unwelcoming. So insistent on deciding who we should show radical hospitality and reconciliation to.  Then we Christians make ourselves gods, by deciding when it is okay to exclude someone from being the recipients of hospitality and reconciliation.  Rather than letting Jesus be the Light that guides us to welcome everyone, to wash everyone's feet in service of even those who don't quite share our views of things, and working towards peaceful understandings of each other; we use the Bible, the Sacraments and our doctrines as reasons to exclude, to spread a world of darkness where there is already too much despair. 

Our Anglican Tradition in the Episcopal Church is one that embraces the via media.  That middle way between Catholic worship, prayer and our Bishops as successors to the Apostles; and, the protestant reformers of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John and Charles Wesley and so forth.  We invite everyone to pray in common even if we do not believe in common. Our Altars are open to all Baptized Christians.  In some places, Baptism is not required to be welcomed to receive Holy Communion, because of their commitment to the radical hospitality in the Rule of St. Benedict chapter 53.  Yet, one of the things we find over and over again, that those things that make us strong as Anglicans and Episcopalians, are also the source of the weaknesses we have in accepting diverse individuals with varying points of view. 

I think the challenge for all who call ourselves Christians, and claim to follow God in our lives, is to recognize that Jesus is the Light that shines in the midst of all our confusion and tension.  Jesus offered himself to be God's Light where their is darkness, despair and doubt.  Jesus is that "Light to enlighten" as we try to discern what God is calling us to and how we are to respond to God's invitation to grow in our lives and communities.  Rather than seek to stomp each other out and push each other aside so that the only voices we listen to are our own, or even those who agree with us; the Light that is Jesus Christ invites us to reach across political, religious and social divisions to seek the common ground of God's unconditional and inclusive love for all. 

The Light that enlightens calls us to give hope where hope seems lost.  As the poor continue to be targeted by political agenda's that prefer to cater to the richest among us, and be the source of more suffering and degradation.  The Light that wants to enlighten us to protect the bargaining rights of workers, women, LGBT people, immigrants and to protect other religions from being targeted, by recognizing that everyone has a place and purpose in this world.  To understand that each person, among all classes, races, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities/expressions, languages, health status etc are not their for us to manipulate and classify in such a way that they are made second class citizens with no expense to them spared.  The Light wants us to know and understand that there is no scapegoating, or justification for scapegoating.

As Jesus is presented in the temple as an offering to God, perhaps a very good question for us to ask ourselves is: what kind of offering of ourselves are we making to God?  Are we offering God a self that is masked and pretending to be something or someone that we are not?  Are we offering God those things we want to run from, rather than face as they are?  Are we willing to offer to God those things that need the Light of God's enlightening grace and mercy?  Are we willing to become the hope of God in a world where hopelessness and darkness, need so very much the Light of God through our hearts and arms open to all?

We are the only one's who can ask those questions.  The person(s) God wants to talk with and use is us.  How God wants to talk to and use us to make our lives and the world a better place is something that is between God and us individually and collectively. 

Are we offering and listening?


Prayers

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your
only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so
we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by
Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Presentation, Book of Common Prayer, p. 239),


Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in
heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of
your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, p. 215).


O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).

Confession of St. Peter: Faith and Doubt Lead to Grace

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 8: 4-13 (NRSV)

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

`the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

it has become the cornerstone.'

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

Matthew 16: 13-19 (NRSV)

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Blog Reflection

As an individual who is still very new to the Episcopal Church, I have to write that there is a part of me that struggles intensely with this Holy Day. 

As Anglicans and Episcopalians are we not the people who do not claim the authority of the said to be Successor to St. Peter?  Yes, we are. 

The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Tradition are the via media between what is Catholic/Orthodox and what is Protestant.  Our worship and spirituality are very Catholic. Our leadership and polity, combined with our appreciation for the great Protestant reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John and Charles Wesley make us very much like Protestants.  

So when I come to the date of January 18th and the Episcopal Church asks us to consider this Holy Day of the Confession of St. Peter, I find myself with a bit of confusion.   I have to spend some time in thought and prayer about what the Episcopal Church and our Anglican Tradition is really saying about Peter and his confession of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Peter is not exactly the best guy to be considered as the first among the Apostles.   He is stubborn. He is arrogant.  Peter's faith is not too great.  Peter has difficulties with Jesus.   Right after the Gospel reading for today in the Bible there is the encounter with Jesus in which Peter tries to persuade Jesus to not go to Jerusalem to experience his death and resurrection.   The very same Jesus who in today's Gospel tells Peter that he is the rock on which Jesus will build the Church, will say to Peter: 'Get behind me Satan!"   Later on during Jesus trial, it is Peter who will deny Jesus three times after having sworn to Jesus that he would lay down his life for the Jesus that he loved so much.

So why is Peter considered the first among Apostles?

What is so great about Peter that Jesus gives him the keys that says whatever Peter loosens on earth will be lose in heaven and what ever is bound on earth will be bound in heaven?  

Does that really mean that when Pope Benedict XVI says that "Gay marriage is a threat to humanity" that the Holy Spirit protects him from any and all sin when he is promoting such prejudice?

Peter is not made a great man or the rock because of who Peter is. The rock of Peter on which Jesus Christ has been building his Church is not a super power structure where one person is the universal dictator of all who call themselves Christians.  That rock of Faith is not represented as the Bishop of Rome seeks through his Bishops to infiltrate National, State and local governments so that they can only accept their version of what is "true".

Jesus recognizes Peter's confession as an act of faith from a man who does not have all his ducks in a row, but listens to God with in his heart so that he can confess with his mouth that Jesus is the Messiah; the Son of the Living God.   Jesus calls Peter the rock because of Peter's leap of faith that recognizes his own limitations, and that his only hope for salvation is to believe in God's perfect revelation in Jesus Christ.  Jesus responds to Peter's faith making Peter's Confession that rock on which Jesus would build the Church. 

The Messiah, the Son of God comes to establish a new justice through the establishment of God's reign through the Apostolic Succession.  This Succession of the Apostolic ministry is one that is not driven by a dictatorship, but one that inspires people through that same leap of faith that was in Peter when he made his confession. A faith that is collaborative with diverse groups of people and seeks God through radical hospitality and the ministry of reconciliation.

Each Bishop knows that she/he is an imperfect person who will make mistakes and do wrong.   The Bishops who have succeeded those first imperfect Apostles still come with their personal baggage; addictions, hunger for power vs the willingness to delegate and finds themselves battling the age old issue of money vs doing the right thing.  

One individual once said: "The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of Saints."  Sadly, the worst sinners (and that can be any one of us) often spend much too much time worrying about others sins rather than taking care of our own.

Peter's confession is an invitation for all of us to ask ourselves about what kind of faith are we professing?

Keep in mind that professing and confessing our faith does not make us perfect, nor does that alone bring us salvation.  The challenge for all of us is to live out that faith that we confess and profess by making it more than an abstraction.   Our task is to make it real and visible through the ordinary moments of our lives.

Our faith moves from being an abstraction to being a live with the risen Christ when we reach beyond our prejudices and attitudes to help bring about God's reign of peace, justice, inclusion and equality for all marginalized persons.   This means recognizing in people of different races, genders, sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions, languages, cultures, religions health and wealth statuses etc, the image of God and the hope for salvation in Jesus Christ.   It means being willing to serve the poor and the disenfranchised through our prayers and being actively involved in making the Church and the world a better place for everyone.

We are invited today to meditate on this awesome confession; while still asking ourselves about how we are going to confess and profess our faith in the daily routine of our lives. 

What will be our response?


Prayers

Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the
apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God:
Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that
in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow
the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 238). 


Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Those in Trouble or Bereavement, Book of Common Prayer, p. 831).

Second Day of Christmas: St. Stephen: Religious Exceptionalism and Intolerance Kills Again

Scripture Readings

Acts 6:8-7:2a,51c-60 (NRSV)

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us." And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Then the high priest asked him, "Are these things so?"

And Stephen replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. You are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it."

When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.

Matthew 23:34-39 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, `Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Blog Reflection

The commemoration of St. Stephen the day after the Christmas Season begins seems like we turned from one chapter of the story to another.  In a sense we have.  In a sense we have not.

Yesterday we celebrated God coming to us in Jesus Christ.  As one so fragile and helpless.  Jesus came to help heal our wounded relationships. 

Today, we commemorate the first Martyr of the Christian Church; St. Stephen. One of those relationships God came to heal us from is religious exceptionalism and intolerance.  What we need to understand to heal those broken relationships from this Holy Day in our Church calender is that religious exceptionalism and intolerance kills a lot more than a body.  It kills community.

Christians were the new group in town.  Jesus had ascended.  The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.  The newly forming Church was gaining popularity.  Those who wanted to protect the exceptionalism of their own religion were challenged to be more inclusive of new ideas and the ways in which people understood their relationship with their God.  As Stephen makes the case for this new religion full of this zeal he has for being Christian, the existing religious establishment just would not tolerate it.

Sadly, what has happened to the Christian religion over these many centuries is that we have forgotten the lessons of how much religious exceptionalism and intolerance kills.  The Christ Child came to heal broken relationships, by helping us understand what is so broken and wounded about them.  The Church in the 21st Century is still learning how broken our relationships are.

What we have seen over the 20th Century with the rise of fundamentalism that makes use of the modern invention of Biblical literalism, is one form of religious exceptionalism and intolerance taken over by another sad example. The American Family Association. The Family Research Council(s) all over the country.  Focus on the Family.  The Trinity Broadcasting Network. These are a few examples of fundamentalist organizations that promote religious exceptionalism and intolerance. 

At the same time, in the Catholic Church, we have seen religious exceptionalism and intolerance rise through the use of a authoritarian model in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  It's pages are full of very great insights. However, the intent appears to be to create a faithful following that does nothing more than recite the teachings only for the purpose of ending all conversations that would contradict them. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and Relevant Radio have done a good job of supporting and creating more individuals to promote this form of religious exceptionalism and intolerance. Here in Minneapolis and St. Paul we have a follower of the great "orthodox Catholic" networks. The person I speak of writes comments in any newspaper piece where Catholicism is written or spoken about. His comments are written for one purpose. To make sure that the teachings of the church are explained in their entirety.  Anyone who does not agree with what he writes, whether Catholic or not is immediately and violently torn apart by the commenter.

In our Anglican/Episcopal tradition we have seen many incredible strides.  Women are allowed to be ordained in all forms of Church ministry.  In most recent years and not without difficulties LGBT people can be ordained to all forms of Church ministries too.  Reconciliation has been sought with Native Americans, with a commitment to honor the cultural traditions they come from. Opposing the religious intolerance that continues to vilify Jewish people and Muslims is something we are talking openly about.  Yet, within our own progressive bodies, there remain those who would prefer to encourage religious exceptionalism and intolerance. 

St. Stephens' example of being forgiving and praying for the mercy on his persecutors is outstanding. In the midst of his terrible death by stoning, he is more concerned with keeping his own salvation and praying for those who are killing him.  Among the people in attendance of his stoning is Saul who would later become Paul.  Stephens' witness to the transforming power of God's saving love becomes a vehicle through which Saul would one day be where Stephen is.  One day, Saul when he is known as Paul will be the victim of religious exceptionalism and intolerance.

The coming of Christ at Bethlehem is a reminder that as Christians we are not always going to get it right.  As a human being from birth until death we never stop learning and growing in our understanding.  So the Church needs to continue to learn and grow because of those who lead it until Christ comes again.  That learning and growing happens as we are open to the transforming power of God's unconditional and all inclusive love and grace. 

The Church has it's history of burning heretics at the stake. Whipping those who do not share their views. Burning individuals who are thought to be witches. Many who supported discrimination towards Native Americans, African Americans, Irish people, Jewish people, Muslims, Atheists, Wiccans, Pagans and so forth. Christians at one point supported the idea that women should live in subordination. There are Christians who even today support such thinking. While there have been many strides towards greater acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, there are many who still prefer to reject us because of religious exceptionalism and intolerance.

A compelling case can also be made about religious exceptionalism and intolerance on the part of LGBT people and others.  As painful as being rejected because of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is, returning that rejection by suggesting that all Christians are gay haters is not helpful.  I know of way too many openly LGBT ministers and priests who receive uncalled for violence from the oppressed who become oppressors.  The wounds to our communities will not be healed if we continue to take part in further wounding broken relationships. 

As we celebrate this Second Day of Christmas with the Holy Day of St. Stephen let us speak the truth in love, but always with a respect for diversity and a tolerance for perspectives that are not the same as ours.  This is something I need to pray about and work for too. 

The Christ Child has come to heal our broken relationships.  He does that by helping us to understand where and how they are broken.  Are we paying attention?


Prayers

We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the
first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed
for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at
your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (St. Stephen, Book of Common Prayer, page 237).

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 213).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Prayer Attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).